When Todd Snyder was 24 years old he had an idea for a shirt he couldn't find anywhere else. He was interning at Ralph Lauren, and in his free time at home, he cut and sewed the shirt himself. When he wore it to work and the design director asked him where he got it, Snyder realized he might be onto something."I didn't really wait for someone to tell me to go do something," he says,"I just went and did it."

After cutting his teeth at Polo and helping bring J.Crew to the menswear masses, Snyder left right after opening the J.Crew Liquor Store, three days before Lehman Brothers went south. Still, he had to do it.

"I knew if I didn't start my own line, I would always regret it," Snyder says."And now, after doing it, it's the best thing I ever did. It's been a dream come true for me, seeing how many people are responding to it. It really re-instills the reason I got into fashion."

1. The Smiths

"When I got into college, this was the first band that I loved and identified with. Morrissey's amazing, how he plays with lyrics and sound. I've seen Morrissey live, when I was in college, and I think the Smiths had already broken up. Morrissey's such an interesting dude. I've never met him personally, but I've always liked his style and I think his music's really great."

Photo: flickr.com/kevharb

3/11

2. The Strand

"The Strand, for me, is a special place. My wife and I used to go before we had kids, and we would just walk in and go to our separate places and then right before closing time we'd be heading home. For me, I get really inspired by books in general, so it's a place I can just literally get lost for hours with a rare book or a great photography book."

Photo: Getty Images

4/11

3. The Tate Modern

"For me, there's so many things that play an integral part of design, and art and music have always been a source of inspiration. It just brings me into that moment, and when I go to any museum it really transports me into something else. But there's something about the Tate that is especially that way. I went when Mark Rothko was exhibiting there, and I just was like, ‘This is unbelievable.' His paintings are huge, they take up entire walls, and it's literally just color on these big canvases."

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

5/11

4. Tokyu Hands Store

"I go to Tokyo at least twice a year, and I always make a point to go to Tokyu. It's an unbelievable Japanese version of a hardware store. It's four or five floors, and they have everything from a toothbrush to the coolest hammers and pencils that you've never seen before. It's every guy's dream times 10."

Photo: Courtesy of Aesop

6/11

5. Aesop Products

"I've been using Aesop for six or seven years now. When I was at J.Crew, we brought them into the Liquor Store. It is the best stuff to use. The stuff pictured here is their serum, and it's actually for your beard. You put it on before you shave, and it just lathers up a little bit, and it moisturizes your skin in such a great way. It smells amazing, and you look forward to shaving with it. It's a nice little pick me up."

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

7/11

6. Bit-O-Honey Candy

"It's my favorite candy. I'm not a big sweet freak, but it's hard to find, and whenever I do, I buy it. I grew up in Iowa, and it was always readily available there, so whenever I see it it's kind of a special moment, it brings me back to being there and always brings a smile to my face. It just reminds me of being a kid and growing up in Iowa."

Photo: Courtesy of Templeton Rye Spirits

8/11

7. Templeton Rye Whiskey

"It's a small-batch rye whiskey from Iowa that I actually didn't discover 'til about five years ago. They used to make moonshine back in the Prohibition era and they used to run a lot of booze. I discovered it on my trips back to Iowa and now they've just started distributing to New York. If you watch Boardwalk Empire, some of the back scenes will have Templeton. It was Capone's favorite whiskey. We bring it wherever we go. Every time we have a fashion show, that's the booze of choice."

Photo: Ben Ferrari

9/11

**8. Vintage Lee Jeans. **

"I found these in L.A. It's really, really rare to find vintage Lee in my size—they're usually a little slimmer. These were selvedge, and I spent probably $300 on them 15 years ago. I wear them very little now, because they're so delicate, but every time I wear them someone's like 'Where'd you get that wash?' And it's like, 'Sixty years.' That's where I got the wash."

Photo: Ben Ferrari

10/11

9. Tricker's Country Boots

"These are actually my favorite pair of shoes. What I love about them is you can dress them up and you can dress them down—they're the perfect cross between a dress boot and a work boot. We're actually working on a collaboration with them for spring. These are my favorite, especially with this beautiful pebble-olive-green. It's kind of unique, but still rugged enough that I can wear them."

Photo: Courtesy of ABC Kitchen

11/11

10. ABC Kitchen

"It's my favorite restaurant on the planet. I've gotten to know the chef Dan there really well, and the food's just unbelievable. It's organic, great quality, and they can make just a tomato taste amazing. Their philosophy is having the best and the freshest ingredients, and they take simple ingredients and present them and mix them in a different way. It's the same way with my design—I've always said the ingredients are known, it's really how you mix them together and make them new."

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